Bangalore: Apollo Health & Lifestyle, a part of the Apollo Hospitals group, on Wednesday announced the launch of an Apollo Fertility centre in Brookfields, Bangalore. The Apollo Fertility centre, located inside Apollo Cradle hospital at Brookefields, is the 5th Fertility unit of the company. Apollo Fertility centres, following the mission of Apollo Hospitals, aim to bring fertility treatment of international standards within the reach of every individual. Each unit of Apollo Fertility is equipped with a fully stainless steel embryology lab with Hepa filers and CODA filters. The Apollo Fertility centres address issues of both female and male fertility, with a leading panel of Drs for Reproductive Medicine and an Andrologist.

Speaking on the launch, Mr Neeraj Garg, CEO, Apollo Health & Lifestyle Limited, said, “Approximately 10 million couples seek treatment each year in India but this is only around 40% of couples who need fertility solutions. The number of IVF cycles done each year is less than 500,000, and this is because there is a poor understanding of IVF treatment, total treatment cost is high and clinical outcomes are uncertain. Apollo Fertility is focused on addressing these 3 issues: we have clinical co-ordinators and counsellors in all our centres who spend time with the couple to explain the treatment and help them cope with the emotional stress of this condition. Our best-in-class protocols and advanced equipment makes the outcomes more predictable and helps the couple plan for the same. We have also ensured that we are pricing the treatment to make it accessible to all, and are very transparent in our pricing”.

Changes in lifestyle, including late marriages and with both partners working, stress, smoking and increased alcohol intake are contributing to the rise in fertility issues. While awareness of the treatment options is increasing, we still see couples delaying medical treatment by many years. Fertility treatment started earlier has a significantly higher success rate.

Commenting on the Apollo Fertility Centre in Brookefields, Dr Sunil Eashwar, Reproductive Medicine specialist added, “We see many couples who have been having trying for a child for many years but they delay consulting a reproductive medicine specialist. I counsel my couples to seek treatment early because success rates are better if treatment is started on time. At Apollo Fertility, we have put in place very stringent process controls and international treatment protocols that improve success rates, even with couples who have had repeated failures in earlier IVF cycles”.